


Bronze Gaze

by Dark_Sparkles



Category: Red Queen Series - Victoria Aveyard
Genre: But that's also off-screen so don't worry, Canon Compliant, F/M, Genocide, Off-screen torture, The Drowning of the Northlands at least, sort of??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28511412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Sparkles/pseuds/Dark_Sparkles
Summary: Barrow's been gone for too long and his captain is getting impatient.
Relationships: Diana Farley/Shade Barrow
Comments: 4
Kudos: 2





	Bronze Gaze

**Author's Note:**

> Farley POV

Sighing heavily, I sink into the firm cot. Another painfully long day, with no sign of the others returning. Of _him_ returning.

They’ve been gone for a week, much longer than anyone had anticipated, even Tristen, who always foresees the worst. Their mission was simple enough, or so I had thought. The plan was to enter Aswandi, a poor and unimportant Red town in Norta’s far northeast just off the Regent River and find the group of future recruits who had sent us a message by radio eight days earlier. The call by radio had been a sign; these Reds might be worth something. They had useful supplies, materials low Reds don’t usually possess, such as the equipment they’d used for communication, but they were also smart. They had found the exact channel my team had been using. They were an enormous risk, but since the old appliances had been lost to the woods with Cara, both gone forever, the radios have been our only means of contact with the Colonel. Not that I need it.

The Scarlet Guard is built on secrets, you only know what you need to, nothing more. A single word breathed under torture could send our rebellion crashing down. Anyone could have been listening to our hushed conversations over the devices, so Maura, a rookie from Merry Town recently assigned to my unit, practically had to destroy, rewire, and rebuild the radios before they were deemed even partially safe. Which means those determined fools did too.

I know a trap when I see one, and this case seemed particularly suspicious, but we had to give it a try. If the secret correspondents were Reds willing to turn us over to Silvers for a considerable sum, or even worse, Silvers themselves, then we were done for. Unconvinced, I decided to send in a team of four to scope out the situation, and report back. If the offer was genuine, and the callers sincerely wanted to join up, then I’d return to swear them in. The arrangement was rather safe, the privates I’d sent were stealthy, prepared, and… fast. Impossibly fast.

Shade risked exposure and revealed his exclusive power to the rest of the team. There was no use hiding any longer, and since his decision, the Guard’s been wielding an impossible weapon, one that could change the outcome of thousands of lives. With Barrow’s ability, it would take mere hours to travel from our camp outside Corvium to Aswandi, the origin of the call. Deciding if the riffraff is worth our time would be the most complicated part, but regardless, they should have returned to Corvium days ago, and their time’s up. My unit leaves for Irabelle first thing tomorrow. It will be possible, but certainly not easy, to get them a message with word of our new location.

Lost in thought, I nearly drift off. Operation LIGHTNING hasn’t exactly been a piece of cake either, and the operatives in Aswandi aren’t the only ones putting themselves in danger daily. I’m always on the move these days, shuttling information back and forth between our temporary base on the border of the Choke, and Summerton. It’s particularly taxing, babysitting a 17-year-old lightning rod with an impressive attitude, but I’ve never been one to crumble under stress.

The slightest sound at the door has me on my feet, pistol in hand before I have time to guess the cause.

A million explanations stampede through my head, each one worst than the last. Soldiers, passing through Corvium on their way to the Choke would surely alert their officers if they found us for some reward. Silver officers. It can’t be the privates returning, Barrow would have jumped them in from deep in the woods to avoid being seen crossing the abandoned airfield to this wreck of a base. We were forced to re-locate early when the Silver officers from Corvium caught a whiff of our location. That was four weeks ago, and we still don’t know who or what tipped them off, so the crew’s been extra wary of their appearances in public. If they have our faces, this operation just got a whole lot more complicated. But the warrior city has held such reams of information, we had to stay. In reality, we only moved our base camp by about a mile, rotating around Corvium instead of moving out. We darted in and out of other cramped Red slums and sprawling Silver cities for a couple of weeks, visiting the Stilts, Rocasta, and a few others, but we came wandering back for the intelligence constantly pumping from Corvium.

I hear faint movement coming from the rooms beyond, but I don’t dare raise the alarm, instead, taking careful aim at the door with shaking hands. My troop is down by four people, and depending on the number of intruders, we’d fall to them easily. No person, Red or Silver, could make me talk under torture, but I can’t say the same for the rest of my band.

Outside, a scuffle of shoes shatters the silence, and I tense, holding my breath. If someone’s here, I can’t understand why they haven’t entered the obviously occupied shelter already.

I wait, not daring to blink, for what seems like hours. Maybe I misheard. Perhaps it was merely an innocent fox or jay. Lowering the gun cautiously, I slide silently to the door and crack it an inch. Nothing. Swinging the door wide, I brace for the worst. I’m greeted with the sickly muggy air of the Choke, the stench of smoke and bombs hangs so thick in the air, you could cut it with a knife. Puzzled, I carefully stick my head out of the doorway, waiting for the attacker to show their face.

Just then, the floorboards behind me creak quite audibly, and before I can register what’s going on, an achingly familiar voice makes me jump.

“Looking for me?”

Grinning, I spin to face Shade, illuminated in the patch of light spilling across the floor from the single window in my room. He leans against the patched and moldy wall, completely nonchalant as if he hasn’t been gone for a week before finally deciding to show up in the middle of the night. It’s been almost a month since he first displayed his ability, teleporting, but it still shocks me every time.

“You’re late.” I sneer, but it takes everything I have not to run to him.

He stalks over to me until we're standing eye to eye, clear blue facing burning gold. I’m used to towering over people, standing taller than a good portion of my comrades, but the comparison of our heights is strangely comforting.

“I prefer _chronologically challenged._ ” He recites predictably, smirking. It’s become a routine of sorts, and I mouth the familiar words along with him, rolling my eyes.

“What kept you so long?” I ask, referring to his lengthy jaunt to Aswandi.

All at once, his serene mask drops, and the relaxed, humorous boy disappears in an instant. His eyes flick from the door, still ajar, to the one opposite the first, the one leading to the other rooms in the run-down shack we’ve called home for a time now. He looks ashamed, like a shunned child.

“Shade, what’s going on?” I repeat, growing uneasy.

Sighing, he reluctantly drags his gaze back to me. “I tried, Diana,” he breathes, so softly I tell myself I imagined it.

I grab his collar in both hands, shaking him violently. _The call was bait. They weren’t Red._ Silvers. _They killed everyone else. That’s why he came back alone._ My mind screams, beating out the possibilities with what little information I’ve obtained. “Where are the others? Rasha and Cris-”

“They’re fine, they’re alright.” He assures me, gesturing to the adjoining rooms where I heard stirring earlier, “but Eastree…”

“Where is she?!” I demand. The corporal is a new recruit, sworn in alongside Barrow. Still, she’s proved useful over the last two months, bringing us slews of information from the front. A soldier from the Tower Legion like Shade, she has been rewriting military documents for us, erasing certain events, and installing others.

“She’s here too, they’re all fine - relatively. No one died.” He says, his voice slightly strangled.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, I shove him back, causing him to stumble away, stunned. “Stop being a dramatic idiot and just TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED.”

“We were so close. We almost made it out.” The light in his eyes fades as he remembers the details, and he turns away, the space between us yawning. “Locating the band of Reds was no problem, we found them on the second day, and interviewed them thoroughly, with some… _incentives_. They seem legitimately obligated and they’re willing to lay down their lives for the cause.”

“They better be," I mutter to myself. Now that we’re openly announcing our strikes against the Silvers, the going hasn’t been easy for the Guard, although I suppose it never was.

He continues the summary. “They requested to accompany us back to Corvium, but I figured it would be better to have some extra ears south of the border right now. We don’t have any operatives stationed in Aswandi currently, and they were enthusiastic about anything I had to say, so…” He trails off, obviously stalling without success.

“Corporal Eastree…?” I prod, “If she’s still alive, then…”

“We were heading back, stopping in Rocasta for provisions, but a Silver officer caught her bartering with a Whistle for extra information through the network-”

“Unauthorized?” How could she have been so ignorant? As Corvium’s main supply hub, Rocasta is constantly crawling with Silvers patrols.

He rubs the back of his neck, clearly distraught. “Not exactly.” He grinds out. “I thought we could use any additional details- I just wanted to…” His words catch in his throat and he falls silent.

I groan, pressing my palms to my forehead to chase away a nonexistent ache. I respect disobeying direct orders for the cause, the greater good, but I can’t deal with this right now. Enough has gone wrong this month without getting cast out of the Guard. I wasn’t even supposed to recruit Shade, and I can already see the Colonel’s red face taunting me through the darkness. “It’s alright. I can fix this.” I gesture to Shade, motioning for him to continue.

He gives me an incredulous glance before relenting. “ _Right_ , well, she was immediately suspected of association with the Guard and submitted to arrest, alongside the Whistle. Eastree was recognized by another officer headed straight from the Choke, where she was stationed. The Bloodbase confirmed it.”

Cursing, I suck in a breath. That damned Bloodbase has caused me a lot of headaches. It’s an essentially unbeatable enemy that no one can outsmart without access to the population records for all of Norta. The Scarlet Guard’s roots run deep, but not _that_ deep. The files are kept at the capital, samples stolen at birth, used to track Reds all over the kingdom. If only one of my other subordinates had been caught, one who wasn’t Nortan. Aside from Shade and Tristan, all my privates are Lakelander. They don’t use the dreaded Base in the Lakelands, or in Piedmont, Tristan’s origin.

“Torture?” I murmur, fearing the worst. Eastree could have destroyed all our progress with a single word, a single location, name, or date.

His silence is answer enough.

I stare out into the darkness at the glimmering, winking lights of the armored city on the horizon, heart hammering. Eastree’s loyalty wasn’t set in stone yet, a newly acknowledged member, she could have easily sold us out for a generous reward. “What did she say?”

“Nothing.” He follows my gaze to Corvium, “they nearly killed her for it.”

Exhaling, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Eastree’s earned my respect. Silver torture is no picnic, and she very well could have been the downfall of the Guard. Being a new associate, she doesn’t know much, no one does but Command, honestly, but she knew enough to bring serious damage to our operation.

As for that, I have firsthand experience. I was born into this revolution, raised knowing a single wrong step could be the downfall of the rebellion. We thought we were prepared, and too many paid for that misconception.

My mother paid for it, as did my sister.

It’s referred to as the Drowning of the Northlands, the biggest setback the Guard’s faced by far. One captain caught: one thousand families severed. The king of the Lakelands flooded the accused territory himself. From then on, I've been constantly haunted by memories of the incident.

I try in vain to clear my head of the experience, but that never works for long. No matter how hard I try to rid myself of the event, the memories always come flooding back, like the lake that rose to flush my village of the rebels years ago. I can’t go there now; the previously present spiral will only grow worse. Trying to distract myself, I turn to Shade, hands on my hips. “Smooth, Barrow. I put you in charge for _one_ week and you have to go and get someone tortured.” The comment comes out harsher than I had meant, but he just deflates, accepting my scolding words.

“Yeah, I-” his voice catches as Shade struggles to find the words. “I really screwed up.”

Glancing over at him, I search Shade’s face for a trace of emotion. It could have gone infinitely worse, but this was Shade’s first solitary chance at leading, and he messed it up badly enough to get him… well, at least out of my unit. And of course, since _I_ was the one to send him out alone, I’ll lose my place as captain, maybe even all position in the Guard. _Shit, Barrow. Nicely done._

My hand finds his on the windowsill. “Well at least you didn’t get anyone killed, and since Eastree held up, and you got her out, no harm done.” _I’ll have to grill him on that later._ Were they seen? Was he recognized? Considering he’s supposed to be dead, I can’t see _that_ going over well. But he’s safe for now, I remind myself. That’s all that matters.

He throws me a look that seems almost annoyed, as if I don't understand the gravity of the situation. "I'd hardly call that 'no harm done, Farley. Eastree’s barely breathing. How do you expect her to explain that to her officer when she gets back to the front? And when the Colonel finds out-”

“He’s not going to.” I impede firmly, my grip on his hand tightening.

He softens, melting a bit at the decision. “Thank you.” He whispers, barely audible.

I wave it off, not bothering to mention that I haven’t been doing much of what the Colonel says lately anyway.

We lapse into a thick silence, all of our combined mistakes hanging in the air.

“Well, I’d talk all night, but we’re moving out tomorrow, so I had better get some sleep for once this week," I announce, marching across the room to the rickety cot in the corner.

“Okay.” Shade responds awkwardly, unsure what to do next.

Feeling mischievous, I toss a glance over my shoulder at the dark figure silhouetted against the luminous city on the horizon. “Aren’t you coming?”

Grinning, he blinks out of view and reappears milliseconds later at my side. “By all means, oh fearless leader.”

“Shut it, Barrow.” I sneer. Nevertheless, I crush him into a firm embrace, and although I haven’t truly had one for years, it feels like coming home.

“Never.” He murmurs, his breath ghosting down my neck. I shiver, despite the pressing heat of the Choke nearby. “You’re stuck with me, Captain.”

Before, I would have resented that, a lone soldier wanting to face the world solo. But after a fleeting taste of the freedom, I find myself wandering back. I can’t do this without aid. _You’re not invincible, Farley. It’s not a shame to need someone to lean on from time to time._ I don’t need to be in this alone, I have Shade, and we’re going to see this revolution to its glory, or its collapse, side by side. Together, we’re going to rise.

 _Red as the dawn_.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all, this is a really quick little fic I wrote for my favorite Red Queen pair a while back and almost forgot about. I finally turned thirteen and so here I am posting this super late. I think it's okay?? Eh. It's not my best work but I hope you enjoyed it at least a little and it was worth your time. 
> 
> Stay stealthy, Stay healthy, and write fanfiction!  
> Have a good day!


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